How Much Should Your Social Media Manager Get Paid?

July 10, 2017

As social media plays a bigger role in how companies run their marketing strategies, the requirement for devoted social media employees has also developed. It's not functional or convenient to stack the obligations of your brands' online networking on a new confronted assistant or to someone that may not necessarily be qualified for the role. This means that you may have to hire a Social Media Manager or Community Manager.

Although they may have different labels, when it comes to the Social Media Manager job description, responsibilities fall into two large groups: operational and strategic. Companies may use the term Social Media Manager or Community Manager interchangeably, to describe the role responsible for the decisions made at the strategic level on various platforms. In essence, all Media Manager roles (whether Community or Digital) may have similar roles initiated in the job tasks.

Before you begin enlistment for both of these positions, you'll need to see how to choose a reasonable and fair pay for the part in which you hire.

You're probably wondering if the increase in exposure and demand for quality Social Media Managers also increases the rate of pay these positions require? If your employee has gained formal training skills, how much should we expect to pay managers these days while at the same time making sure to hire the correct candidate?

Know The Job Role

In order to understand the wage of Social Media Managers, you should get familiarized with the job role first. You must understand the details of what Social Media and Community Managers do as both roles may overlap. Before you start the hiring process, make sure to research the details of social media management as there are multiple positions that cover central social tasks.

What Is The Average Salary?

Social Media Manager Salaries

According to Payscale, Social Media Managers in the United States take home approximately $48K annually on average. With some bonuses approaching $8K and certain profit sharing proceeds approaching $9K, overall incomes of Social Media Managers spread between $27K and $73K depending on individual performance. Location is the most important factor that affects this group when determining the salary they receive followed by their career length.

71% of Social Media Manager survey respondents are women (although more men have started to enter the workforce in recent years). Social Media Managers generally report they enjoy their work and achieve high levels of job satisfaction. Although just under a third lack health benefits of any kind, the larger part do enjoy medical insurance, and more than half get dental coverage, too (this overview is based on answers to PayScale's salary questionnaire).

Community Manager Salaries

According to Payscale, in the United States, Community Managers can expect wages of $48K annually on average. Bonuses can potentially reach $8K, and profit sharing $5K, bringing the range for Community Manager salaries to $31K to $71K. Location is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by career duration.

Men are in the minority of survey respondents, with female Community Managers making up 71 percent. Although one-fifth receive no health benefits, a strong majority do receive medical and dental coverage. Community Managers enjoy their work and report high levels of job satisfaction (this overview is based on answers to PayScale's salary questionnaire)

What The Numbers Can Tell Us

As you may know, numbers do not matter without context. The numbers in the examples above are just averages and do not count for the exact amount. Both roles have a similar range of salaries. Overall, managers for social media positions across the U.S. can expect to pull in between $30,000 and $70,000 which gives us the question of who to hire?

In case you're running a smaller company with more basic needs requiring less of the Social Media Manager, at that point, candidates may be more accepting with the rates toward the lower end of the scale. As a rule, pick a rate that will line up with your own financial plan.

The most important component to consider is the qualification and experience of your applicant. In the present market, it's normal to have candidates with broad business experience and years of social media marketing experience.

The more time a candidate has spent working in social media, the higher a salary that candidate will likely expect. On the off chance that you have an applicant who has been holding occupations in the field since the organizations initially began, you can, at that point, expect to pay them on the upper end of the compensation scale.

Which Skills To Look For

Whether you are hiring a Social Media Manager or Community Manager, the following skill sets could be crucial when making the right decision. When hiring the right person for the position, make sure that the individual possesses if not all, a majority of the following skill-sets:

Copywriting

Visual Design (graphics and videos)

Public Speaking

Community Engagement (they'll likely be interacting with customers on social media often)